


Eorzean Legacy

by ethanlefeb



Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:00:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26149084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ethanlefeb/pseuds/ethanlefeb
Summary: "While an exact account of their adventure is almost assuredly lost to time, we know enough of the great Warrior of Light's many deeds to fill in the gaps."An understatement, to be sure, but understanding Hydaelyn's champion /is/ possible, given the willingness to dive into the annuls of history.While by no means a tell all autobiography, this volume aims to give any aspiring adventurer a 'close enough' look into the life of the one that saved Eorzea time and time again.





	Eorzean Legacy

**Author's Note:**

> Certainly a bit of an ambitious plan for this one, truth be told!
> 
> In short, I've got a lot of friends that I think would absolutely adore the story of Final Fantasy XIV, but that I also doubt have the time to spend on a game that, in total, could span up to 200+ hours. Probably more, in all honesty.
> 
> I definitely don't think I've got the writing chops to perfectly capture just how good FFXIV's story is, but that's no excuse not to try, right? The plan is to go from A Realm Reborn (with some aspects shifted to try to better fit the format, as you might notice while reading), to at least Heavensward. Stormblood didn't grip me especially well, but Shadowbringers was more than worth it, so we'll see what happens when we get there!

Deep in slumber, the Hyur's uncomfortable shivers were masked by the rocking of the carriage, sleep pulling memories best kept under lock-and-key towards the surface of his mind.

Flashes of red as he stared up into the sky, fear gripping him and freezing every joint in his body. Every instinct in his body was /shrieking/ at him to move, to hurry back home, to forget about his responsibilities at the market, but as Dalamud finally cracked open, all he could do was stare.

Though the Hyur was still only a lad, hardly more than 15 years old, the Seventh Umbral Calamity weighed as heavily on him as it did anyone. Though his family hadn't suffered any grave losses beyond mere property damage, the emotional and mental toll that seeing one's homeland subject to a tragedy such as Bahamut's awakening was undeniable. 

Though quite why memories of that day chose to return with such determined ferocity was hard to discern. The Hyur was all but a boy at the time.   
Evidently, such determined ferocity was strong enough for even the bumpiest journey to have little effect on one's rest. And, truthfully, uncomfortable though it was, he _/would/_ find himself in need of whatever rest he could manage to find.

His family chose to leave Eorzea, preferring the idea of beginning anew to the prospect of being forced to rebuild. In any case, with his younger sister having just experienced her first birthday, the opportunity to avoid allowing her first memories to follow in the wake of such tragedies was probably for the best. 

He, on the other hand, couldn't find it in himself to forget so easily. In a way, you could easily say that he never /quite/ left Gridania. Never /quite/ left Eorzea. The temptation to return home had always been strong, but never as strong as it had been just a week past. 

Truth be told, if you had asked him exactly why he returned, he'd be hardpressed to give you a satisfying answer. Indeed, when he finally gave in and began preparations to leave, his own father was left wanting. He freely gave his approval, but under the assumption that it was simply a short journey to take that final step into adulthood.

Truth be told? It very well could be.

"... Slept like a baby, eh? Consider yerself lucky. Even slept through the Ixal... Well, regardless, we're there."

When his eyes finally opened, the Hyur was greeted by the sight of the grizzled passenger he shared his journey with. What was his name, again...? Brendt? 

Blinking, he took a moment to try to softly shake his head into focus, before giving a short nod of the head. Regardless, he was appreciative of the warning. He was hardly made of gil, and if the carriage had decided to continue on its way without checking to make sure its passengers hadn't made for their destination on their own...

"I s'pose you must've one hell of a nightmare, eh? The aether, I expect. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

The man (Brennan?) gave a smile, before idly clapping the Hyur on the back as he stood up and made to hop off the back of the carriage. The Hyur himself followed suit not long after. The two Elezen that made the journey with them seemed to have left themselves, but they weren't exactly ones for conversation regardless.

Availed of any social obligations, the Hyur made for the entrance to Gridania with nothing but idle thoughts to accompany him, all the way to the Adventurer's Guild. Truth be told, there was a strange sort of... *bittersweet nostalgia* to the short journey. Though the Calamity left a noticeable mark on the world, the persistence of mankind's self-preservation held fast. That hill leading up to the aetheryte even caught an excited Lalafell off-guard, the poor woman tripping on the rising incline and landing flat on her face, just like many an excited child did (including himself, if he recalls correctly) back before the Calamity.

"Well, well, well..."

That odd nostalgic familiarity extended even as the Hyur set foot inside of the adventurer's guild. The kindly woman at the counter didn't seem to recognize him, but he sure recognized her.  
"A wide-eyed and wondering young adventurer, come to put their name down at the guild, I assume? Welcome!"  
She idly lifted a hand to her chest, a smile on her face.  
"Miounne's my name. Mother Miounne, as most call me. As the head of the Adventurer's Guild here in Gridania, I have the honor of providing guidance to all the fledging heroes who pass through our gates. No matter your ambitions, the guild is here to help you attain them. In return, we expect you to fulfil your duties as an adventurer by assisting Gridania's fair peoples."  
This time, her words were punctuated by a wave of her arms, and another nod of the head.

"... To an outsider's eyes, our nation may seem to have nary a care in the world. The truth is... less favorable. The Ixal have seen fit to ensure we always have something to worry about. To say nothing of the bandits, and the anxiety of the Garlean Empire coming to knock on our doors again..."

This time, a shake of the head.

"Even an outsider must have heard of the Seventh Umbral Calamity, though, I'm sure. Barely a malm in all was spared from Bahamut's devastation... Well, regardless, adventurers are an aid Gridania can scarce afford to turn away."

Miounne hesitated for a moment, her gaze lingering on the open doorway of the guild, before she eventually shook her head, clearing her throat.  
"Ahem. Pray forgive me. I hardly want to oblige you to burden yourself with Eorzea's troubles. All I ask is that you do what you can to help Gridania. In return, Gridania will do what they can to repay the favor."

With a short nod of the head, she ducked behind the counter for just a moment, placing a heavy leather-bound book on the counter along with a frilly quill, opening the book to a page filled with signatures of varying quality before pointing to a stretch of empty space near the bottom.

"Why don't we consider that brief history lesson your first quest? Doing your part to remember the trials and tribulations of our nation is but the first step to its betterment, wouldn't you say?"

Another smile, and the Hyur gave a small, but sincere smile of his own.  
"Now, all that's left is to register you as an official member. Why don't you scrawl your name... _here_? Real name, if you don't mind."

The Hyur nodded, hesitating for but a moment before taking a step closer to the counter, and scrawling the name Ashwin Cantrell within the sparse empty space, before placing the quill down by the book and taking a brief step back.


End file.
